Journal
Entries

Note:
Background images in December 2002 and January 2003 journal entries are selected
from Frances Ku's collection of her original
watercolours.

Bon Journal

What you do or who you are

I must be truly
in need of motivation to wake up at 7:30 am today to attend a breakfast talk at
8:30 am.

Once described as a "presenter across boundaries," Diane
Louise Jordan of Blue Peter (UK television programme) fame summarised her career
history to a packed room of women. Her motivational speech was both entertaining
and educational. Before I forget, let me jot down the main points.

Don't
you hate it when people ask about what you do before you have a chance to finish
saying your name? It's as if they can tell everything about you from what you
do. Why don't they ask who you are?

Why indeed. For most people, it's
easier to talk about what you do. Imagine being asked who you are. Where do you
start? Are you a set of attributes, defined by sex, ethnic origin, age, and physical
properties? Or are you defined by what you believe?

Unfortunately people
do pigeonhole you based on what you say. We all stereotype to simplify the complexity.

I like this women-only audience. Unlike most of the energy conferences
I attend where I'm one of the few women - and usually the only oriental woman,
here I can be anonymous in a sea of women. I can let myself go. Maybe I should
attend more women-only breakfast talks in my neighbourhood. But the next one (Single
Mums) is definitely not for me.